Being that I’ve been a very big fan of paper-based planners, it is no surprise that I became enticed by the Midori Traveler. I found out about it through one of Tracy Reinhardt’s a.k.a. Crazy Suburban Mom’s earlier You Tube posts. While I don’t use this wonderful cowhide leather buildable notebook as a traditional organizer, I do use it as a field book of sorts dedicated to my hummingbird observations e.g. sketches, feeding times, and general behaviors. I’ve gotten to know the principal characters of my garden fairly well. The brown Midori comes in two sizes (medium and pocket-sized versions) and I believe they just released one with a navy blue leather cover. You can also accessorize it to your liking (which I joyfully had done from day 1) :). I ordered mine from The Journal Shop in Spring 2014 and found the staff to be very pleasant to work with… I’m also very thankful for this since I had to rely on international purchase & shipping.

While at Cape May, I also ventured into a cozy little spiritual store, named Good Scents, filled with many exciting new things I haven’t really seen anywhere else yet =). You can also find further info about the shop’s variety of incense here. In the back was a Leelah hoodie I instantly feel in love with! It was their Honey Love design (“Life is the Flower for which Love is the Honey”). Comfortable, soft, pretty, great for everyday (and for yoga!), and fits me very well. Later that week, I decided to explore the company’s site. All of a sudden, I remembered that one of my local boutiques also carries a few items from their clothing and accessories line (Leelah makes very distinctive-looking products). What I really love besides their clothing is their full-size spiral notebooks and mini books. It is perfect for the Filofax lover, like myself or someone who regularly gets lost in their imagination and enjoys doodling or journaling… all you have to do is re-punch the paper to fit your chosen organizer or slide a mini book into its planner pocket. As an aside, if you are a big fan of letter stationery, you can do the same. My daily organizer is an A5 so this works out perfectly =). Just wanted to share my thoughts especially with those who like customing/decorating their Filofax. I know how much joy that brings to me. I’ve featured a few of my favorites below and you can catch a “virtual” glimpse of Good Scents.

My faery fanaticism began with a book recommendation from my friend, Sylvia. She suggested none-other-than Signe Pike’s amazing book, Faery Tale. Following this was Grasslands Road’s fairy homes set, fairy-themed garden decorations, and other great books by Brian Froud. I will admit several years ago I fell in love with Cicely Mary Barker’sFairyopolis and How to Find Flower Fairies, which I discovered accidentally during a search on an unrelated topic. Even as an adult I love pop-up books! This year I received a beautiful fairy & flower bird feeder/bath for my birthday from my mother-in-law. I unwrapped it immediately upon its arrival on my doorstep, quickly assembled it, and placed it straightaway in my perennial garden. Every morning I see it from my bedroom window and I imagine my garden faeries are pleased with it too.

My husband found these bookends online for me. They are a real gem of a find too because I was using regular metal bookends (which can be purchased at Staples, etc.) for my shelving. Honestly they didn’t work out too well due to the large number of binders I keep and were also less appealing next to my white wall tracks). My shelving system was purchased online from an out-of-state specialty store (Spokane Hardware Supply/Hardware Hut) and closely resembles The Container Store’s Elfa system. Sorry, I don’t know if my shelving brackets are compatible with TCS’s track standards. My shelves (made of pine and poplar) were purchased from local lumber yards and Home Depot.

My three favorite personal size planners other than those by Filofax are from Anya Hindmarch, Kate Spade, and Louis Vuitton. They are a bit pricy (some more so than others) but if you are a serious planner-keeper or “Filofaxer” looking for something a little different, you can consider these a worthwhile investment that you’re bound to find very nice to have around.

I saw a copy of American Fashion Cookbook offered during a Gilt sale and although I currently have ample cookbooks, I had to have it! What could be better than perusing through recipes which have helped fuel the creative forces of some of the world’s most amazing fashion designers? My only qualm is that Katherine Kwei (my favorite handbag designer) is missing from this book. I’ve tried a few recipes from this book so far e.g. Saturday Night Chicken, Arroz Con Pollo, Sweet Potato Casserole etc. and really love them. Pick up a copy!

Thanks to my mother-in-law’s gift of a new recipe book, I am once again armed with an arsenal of great stuff to try =). So far I’ve made the Sausage & Tomato Stew and the Cheese & Spinach Lasagna. Both pretty tasty; and even better, simple to make! This is an absolutely wonderful book for any beginning chef and mother. Can’t go wrong with comfort recipes. Below is a picture of the book in question; however, I believe it depicts an earlier edition by Parragon Publishing than the one I own. I am planning for next week’s dinner menu… Pick up a copy!